International photography festival begins in Pingyao

Vladimir Viatkin, a Russian photographer, addresses the opening ceremony of the 2019 Pingyao International Photography Festival in Pingyao county, Sept 19. [Photo/Xinhua] 

More than 4,100 photographers have come to the Ancient City of Pingyao, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Shanxi province, to attend the 2019 Pingyao International Photography Festival, which opened on Sept 19. 

Vladimir Viatkin, a Russian photographer who has won multiple World Press Photo awards, addressed the opening ceremony. 

"Photography is a cross-cultural form of communication that is of great value to the preservation of human cultural heritage," he said. 

This year's festival is themed around happiness and efforts. 

A total of 12,619 photos from 31 countries and regions are on display at more than 620 exhibitions during the week-long festival. 4,644 of the photos on display were taken by students.

A special photo exhibition entitled "We", which marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, is being held by Li Ge, chairman of the China Photographers Association, during the festival.

"The exhibition consists of group photos taken by 70 photographers from different generations and from different regions of China, reflecting China's development over the past seven decades," said Zhang Guotian, director of the festival. 

Launched in 2001, the Pingyao International Photography Festival has developed into a platform for photographers from around the world to showcase their photos. Photographers from over 100 countries and regions have participated in the annual event.